Makhmur, Iraq


Makhmur is a town in Iraq. It is part of Makhmur District in Erbil Governorate in Northern Iraq. The district is a disputed territory, in between the Erbil and Ninawa governorates. Makhmur is mainly populated by Arabs and Kurds. It was captured by the Iraqi army from the Peshmerga in October 2017.
During the 2014 ISIL crisis, the town was taken over by ISIL militants before being regained again by combined Kurdish forces. A volunteer civilian militia to defend the town in the future was started in response.
During the 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, clashes were reported on the outskirts of the town between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army, supported by the Popular Mobilization Forces, until it was fully recaptured by the Iraqi Government.

Refugee camp

In the Makhmur District is also located the Makhmur Refugee Camp, which was founded in 1998. About 12,000 Kurdish refugees, who fled the civil war between Kurds and the Turkish state in the 1990s, live in this refugee camp. Several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party come from this camp. A "Garden of the Martyrs" was established at the camp, where deceased PKK members are remembered. The refugee camp and its surroundings are often a target for Turkish airstrikes.